The most valuable lesson

The most valuable lesson that I learned from the recent trip is to live without expectation.

When one has no expectation there is no disappointment; everything is an added bonus. Without expectation, there is no attachment or clinging; without attachment or clinging, there is no obstruction.

As stated in the Heart Sutra:
"Having no obstruction, there is no fear
and departing far from confusion and imaginings,
they reach Ultimate Nirvana."

So without expectation, I could travel 44 hours on four flights to get home; the whole flight was enjoyable. I could wear 9 layers of tops and clothing, 5 pairs of pants; carry over 10 kilogram of books on my backpack, hold on a jam-packed carry-on suitcase and also a heavy plastic shopping bag of gifts that my friends insisted on giving me---doing all that in order to avoid paying flight charges for excess luggage. It was nice to do silly things once in a while, especially when you are getting old and the opportunity cost is high...

May we all live without obstruction and fear...

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